A year and a half ago, Manchester United played Real Madrid in the quarter finals of the prestigious European Champions League. In a surprise decision a few minutes into the second half, one of United’s best players that day was sent off. It felt like injustice and was very unfortunate as United were leading 1-0 and looked set to go through.
However, legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson was visibly livid and frustrated. And, it was about 10 or so minutes before he responded with a substitution. The substitution, however, came a few minutes too late. In that time, Real Madrid had scored twice and the game ended at 2-1. And the supporters were left with a big “what if.” What if Sir Alex Ferguson had not lost his temper? Would United have gone through?
Unfortunate events and setback happen. There’s no getting around them. As the football story indicates, they happen at the biggest of stages. There’s no point succumbing to anger and frustration because they get in the way of a creative, constructive and corrective response.
Our setbacks don’t define us. Our responses do.
A Learning a Day 